French lawyer Frederik-Karel Canoy of Paul Bismuth at the court room for the Sarkozy trial for attempted bribery of a judge, in Paris, France, on November 23, 2020. Sarkozy, 65, a rightwing politician who led France between 2007 and 2012, has repeatedly denied the accusations of corruption and influence peddling for allegedly trying to bribe a judge for information in a case known as the 'bugging affair'. The prosecution alleges Sarkozy and his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, attempted to bribe a senior magistrate, Gilbert Azibert, 74, to hand over secret information from a separate investigation against the former French leader. Sarkozy becomes the first ex-president to stand trial on corruption charges. Photo by Patrice Pierrot/Avenir Pictures/ABACAPRESS.COM